1, 2, 3 and maybe 4?
by mahsa
Summary: Steffy didn't interrupt the Ambush wedding, but she leaves for Paris for a few weeks and when she comes back drama ensues...
1. Chapter 1

**AN:**

 **As always I do not own a single thing**

 **I just needed something else to write for a little bit, so here's the next installment of What if... or so I thought, this started out as a chapter for What if..., but ended up being way over the number of pages I normally have for my stories, so I decided to make this a multi chapter story as well because apparently, I just can't help myself!**

 **One, two, three and maybe four?**

Chapter one

 _February 19_ _th_ _2013_

 _The Cliff house_

Steffy Forrester was standing on the patio of the cliff house where the baby that was growing in her belly had been conceived a little bit into December.

She watches Liam hesitantly place the ring on Hope´s fingers, hears her mother tell her to stop them, but she also feels her heart constricting.

"Mom, stop it!" She sees Taylor recoil at her tone. "He obviously chose Hope, otherwise he wouldn't have put that ring on her finger." Steffy throws her hand out with her finger pointing to the scene in front of them out on the cliff. "They're married now and I won't interfere with something like that again. I have this baby to live for now, I don't need anything else."

Taylor looks at her with wonder in her eyes. "I'll be there for you all the way!"

Steffy nods her head and then she goes around the house to get to the car.

Taylor on the other hand decides to walk down to where Liam, Hope, Brooke and Father Fontana are. She claps her hands directing them to Brooke.

"Well, look who couldn't wait for Liam´s decision and decided to manipulate the situation!" Taylor ends her statement by laughing.

"What do you mean?" Brooke crosses her arms over her chest.

"Well, let´s ask Liam if he had decided to choose your daughter two hours ago?" Taylor turns towards Liam and Hope and raises her eyebrows.

"I.. I.." Liam looks confused.

"Did you call Hope over to marry her?" Taylor expects him to answer.

"Why are you asking this?" Brooke starts walking towards her.

"Because I just stood up there.." She points to the patio. "..with my daughter watching Liam place a ring on Hope´s finger after thinking about it for more than a minute before actually doing it and you.." She points at Brooke. "...urging him on to do it. If this was Liam´s choice, wouldn't he have placed the ring on Hope´s finger with the same ease that Hope placed the ring on his? So, Liam, was marrying Hope a choice you made? Or did you just get caught up in the memories from Italy?"

Liam opens and closes his mouth having a great deal of trouble to speak and then he looks down on the ring on his finger.

"I hope you're happy in the marriage you've ended up in, because it sure looks like you weren't really sure it's what you wanted. And Hope, really? Marrying another woman's boyfriend, no desire to become your mother you say?"

She can see the light turn on in Liam´s eyes. "Steffy was here? Where did she go?"

"That's for me to know and you to not worry about anymore. You're married now Liam, you made your choice and it's not my daughter, so I suggest you stop calling her every night getting her hopes up."

"What are you talking about? Marrying another woman´s boyfriend?" Hope pushes Taylor to turn to her.

"Ask your husband what he said when Steffy left the Cliff house that day! Ask him how many times he called her and told her he loved her as they hung up. How many times did Liam contact you during this time?"

"Every day, we talked every day!" Hope looks triumphant.

"Yeah, we might have talked every day, but I didn't reach out to you Hope." Liam looks ashamed.

"What do you mean? You called me every day!" Hope looks desperate.

"No, every text I sent, I sent in response to one of yours, every time we talked it was because you called me." Liam sighs and Hope looks shocked.

"Looks to me like you made your choice and it wasn't Hope." Taylor shrugs her shoulders.

"What do you mean it wasn't Hope?" Brooke squints her eyes at Taylor.

"Well, if he had chosen Hope, he would've called Hope to tell her he had chosen her long ago and he sure wouldn't have continuously sent texts to Steffy and called her every day. The last thing he said to Steffy before she left that day was something along the lines of 'I hope you know that this doesn't mean this is the end of us and that I do love you!"

"Oh please, he was kicking her out, what else was he supposed to say?"

"Well, which one of the women stepped back and let him make the decision on his own? Who kept from dialing that phone to talk to him? Who was the woman he called every day and told her that he hopes she knows he loves her?" Taylor raises her eyebrows again. "Well, congratulation on your marriage. I hope it sticks this time!"

Taylor smiles and then walks away. She chuckles as she reaches the car. "What took you so long?"

Steffy looks over at her mother with worry in her eyes.

"Oh, I just congratulated the happy couple." Taylor smiles at her daughter.

"I hope you didn't cause any trouble!"

"Of course not!" Taylor starts the car with a mysterious smile on her face.

On the other side of the house, Father Fontana looks over at Brooke with anger in his eyes. "You said he was as single as they come!"

"He ended the relationship, he was as single as they come." Brooke is determined.

"Did you even hear what I said when I told you I told her to give me space?" Liam has turned towards his wife.

"You told her to leave, that's all I needed to know!" Brooke interjects.

"I didn't end the relationship, I asked her to give me space to figure out if that's what I wanted to do." Liam snaps at Brooke.

"Yeah, well, you married me!" Hope lays her hand on his shoulder. "I think it's pretty clear to Steffy now that the relationship is over."

Liam snaps his head to look at Hope and the expression on his face causes her to remove her hand and take a step back.

"You can't be serious?" The shock in Hope´s eyes turns to anger. "After everything she did to keep us apart?"

"What exactly has she done to keep us apart since you dumped me right in front of everyone after your brother lied to you?" Liam starts walking away when Hope can't answer the question. "She knew the truth. She asked you to trust me and you couldn't do that because you chose to believe a man you've never talked to before then other than to ask him to play a song. Your choices are what kept us apart, not anything Steffy did! I moved on and now I've caused Steffy pain that I didn't want to put on her!"

Tears starts forming in Hope´s eyes and she turns to her mother, Brooke waves her to come over for a hug and then they watch Liam walk away into the house again.

"Oh, don't worry honey, he'll come around, you've done nothing wrong! This is on Steffy and her mother!" Brooke continues to caress her daughters head.

~OTTmF~

 _Taylor´s house_

Steffy walks through the door of her mother´s house, dumps the keys on the table next to the door and then walks over to the couch in the living room and sits down.

Taylor comes walking in after her daughter having gone and parked the car in the garage.

"So, you hungry?" Taylor asks on her way into the kitchen.

"Yeah, a little bit." Steffy sighs and then finds the remote and turns the tv on. She takes her phone out of her purse and looks through the news.

The first things she sees is a photoshopped picture of herself, Liam and Hope with a break line between her and Liam and a wedding band between Hope and Liam with the caption **"Well, looks like the girlfriend has been dumped!"**

"Yeah, looks like it! It's a shame really." Steffy sighs once again before shutting her phone off. She has a feeling that there will be a lot of people wanting to talk to her, but she really didn't want to talk to anyone. Letting her mother care for her for the time being was about the amount of contact with other people she could handle.

Taylor comes back from the kitchen with a tray of goodies.

"So, I wasn't sure what you wanted, so I heated some vegetable soup and made some sandwiches and whipped together a fruit salad."

"Sounds delicious mom! Thank you!" She places a spoon in the plate with soup and then looks up at her mother. "Could you please make sure that everyone knows I'm not in the mood to talk right now?"

"Of course, honey! Whatever you need!" Taylor sits down in the arm chair across from her daughter. "Have you turned your phone off?"

Steffy just nods her head while eating her soup. Taylor has taken one the sandwiches and started eating it.

There's a ringing of the doorbell and Taylor jumps up to go open the door. She opens it to find Bill on the other side of the door.

"Hi! Is Steffy here?"

"Congratulations on your new daughter in law, Bill!" Taylor says with a smile on her face.

"Well, thank you I guess. Not particularly happy about it to be honest. Anyway, is Steffy here?" Disappointment all over his face.

"She is, but she doesn't want to see any one right now."

"Oh, he's okay mom. Let him in." Steffy says from the couch.

Taylor in turn opens the door even more and lets Bill in through the door.

Steffy and Bill lock eyes and then he walks over to the couch and sits down.

"So, how are you doing?"

"Oh, I've got other things to focus on and although it hurt that he didn't feel the need to tell me about him choosing Hope, it is what it is." Steffy sends her former father in law a smile. "Thank you for dropping by to check on me though!"

"Oh, it's my pleasure. Not the reason why, but you are one of my favorite people!"

"Yeah, I know. You're one of my favorite people as well!" She reaches in for a hug and he hugs her right back. "But you're my most favorite person in the world mom!"

Taylor´s eyes sparkle with excitement. "You're my favorite female person in the world honey! I can't choose between you and your brother!"

Steffy smiles back at her mother. "Yeah, we're pretty awesome both of us! He's my favorite male in the world at the moment as well!"

"Yeah, my son is probably very low on that list." Bill chuckles.

"Well, he's not in my top five right now that's for sure." Steffy looks at Bill with an apologetic look on her face.

"Oh, it's okay. He's not in my top five either. How could he do this?"

"Oh, he got caught up in the moment. Got swept away."

"Why didn't you stop them?"

"Oh, I was there to stop them, but I came to the conclusion that he's going to have to live with this choice and a little bit into the future, he's going to regret making that choice. You just trust me, your son will come to you within the next few weeks asking you what to do and you know what I want you to say to him?"

"You made your bed, now lay in it?"

Taylor laughs at Bill´s question.

"Yeah, that's about it." Steffy smiles at Bill.

The door handle starts moving and the front door opens revealing Thomas coming through the door.

"Hey! I brought groceries! I figured Steffy would want a whole lot of her favorite dishes today, so I've bought the ingredients for many of them!" Thomas then looks up from the grocery bag. "Oh, hi Bill! How's your son doing?"

"Well, I'm not entirely sure, but I hope he's happy with the mess he's landed himself in."

"I take you're not happy with what happened today?"

"Can't say I am actually." Bill just shrugs his shoulders.

"Can't say I'm surprised. But hey, he's made his bed, now he needs to lay in it."

The three others in the room laughs. Thomas joins in.

~OTTmF~

Hope walks through the door of the cliff house. She searches for Liam. She finds him when he comes out of the bedroom after having changed into a pair of black jeans and a hoodie on his way to pick the car keys up.

"Where are you going?"

"Where do you think I'm going?"

"To **her**? Why do you even need to see her?" Hope is getting impatient. "She watched us get married, she could've stopped us but she knew there was nothing she could've said that would make you stop that wedding so she didn't. Just let it go!"

"Or maybe she chose to not stop the wedding because there's something I need to learn before I can come back to her because she can see that this marriage won't last. I don't know. But what I do know is that I did **not** make this choice the way I should have. I should have talked to her and let her know that I was choosing you if that's what I wanted and I'm not sure that it actually is what I wanted." He looks at her with anger in his eyes. "You accused Steffy of manipulating the situation when her and I got married in Aspen. Can you honestly say that your mother didn't manipulate the situation this time? Because what Taylor said was true, I hadn't broken up with Steffy yet."

"Well, you're broken up with her now!"

"Yeah, I guess I am and we were broken up through actions made by your mother!" Liam then walks to the door and slams the front door.

Hope watches the door with tears in her eyes, then she picks her phone out and sends a text to her mother.

 **To mom:**

He walked out on me!

 **From mom:**

Oh honey, it can't be that bad! He'll come around, you just have to have patience.

 **To mom:**

When I told him he and Steffy were broken up now, he said that you broke them up.

 **From mom:**

Oh please, he broke up with Steffy the moment he threw her out of the house.

 **To mom:**

He didn't break up with Steffy when she left because he didn't throw her out. You heard what Taylor said.

 **From mom:**

And Taylor doesn't have any reason for telling Liam all this does she?

 **To mom:**

Her daughter had more reason to believe he would choose her than I did.

 **From mom:**

Just enjoy your marriage, there's nothing Steffy can do now to break you up.

 **To mom:**

How am I supposed to enjoy my marriage when my husband believes he was manipulated into it?

 **From mom:**

He'll come around once you spend the night together. You just need to connect again! Take it easy.

Hope puts her phone away before throwing herself on the couch with a sigh. "At least Bill hasn't stopped by yet." Then she has a thought. "What if he's visiting Steffy?"

Horrified that he might be, she picks up her purse and the car keys and drives to Steffy´s apartment. Just barely missing Liam on the way up in the elevator.

She bangs on the door to get someone to open it. Steffy doesn't open the door though. Someone does however.

As the door on the other side of the landing opens, Hope whips around.

"Oh, couldn't wait to rub her face in it could you?" The young woman in the apartment across the hall asks her.

"Oh please, after everything she did to keep us apart?" Hope snaps.

"Ah, but what about what **you** chose to do? Do you not have any responsibility for your own choices? Anyway, you just missed your hubby on his quest to find the love of his life."

" **I am** the love of his life. **Not** Steffy!"

The woman just shrugs her shoulders. "If that is what you choose to believe, I won't stop you. But the amount of times I've seen him stand outside her door calling her phone the last few weeks should tell you something! I can't believe she never noticed that he was right outside her door."

Hope is taken back by that admission.

"I almost called the police to alert them that my neighbor had a stalker. But hey, now that he's married to you, maybe he'll stop coming by." She's about to close the door. "But just trust me, you weren't his first choice, if you were, he would've chosen you the moment she moved back here!"

"That's not true! He was thinking about the best way to let her go!"

"As I said, if that's what you choose to think I won't stop you, but your mother really screwed you over!" The woman smiles Hope´s way before closing the door.

~OTTmF~

He makes his way down to his car again noticing that Hope´s car is parked right next to his. He doesn't have the time to stay behind though. He realized when Steffy didn't open the door that there would be no other place where she would be then her mother´s place, so he gets back in the car and drives towards Taylor Hamilton´s house.

Once he reaches the house, he parks his car and goes to knock on the door. When the doors open, Thomas greets him.

"Well, look, it's the groom!"

Liam can hear a group of people laughing at the statement. Then he hears his father telling Thomas to ask Liam a question.

"So, why are you here?"

"I need to talk to Steffy!"

"Why? Wouldn't the time to talk to Steffy have been before you walked up to stand in front of Father Fontana and vowed to love Hope for the rest of your lives? You lost that chance, so good bye!"

Liam has the decency to look ashamed of himself. "But I need to talk to her!"

"And she does not want to talk to you so you should just go home to your little bride and get on with your life!" Thomas leans forward a little as he claps his hands at the end of the sentence like he's talking to a little child.

Liam opens his mouth to say something, Thomas raises his eyebrows and then Liam turns around and walks back to the car. Thomas closes the door and walks back to where Steffy, Bill and his mother is sitting.

"Now, you know the Logan onslaught is about to hit the house. What with Liam running around searching for you and all."

"I was thinking about taking a trip to Paris for a few weeks, go visit dad again." Steffy announces.

"But that would seem like you've tucked your tail between your legs and ran away."

Steffy just smiles at Bill. "Trust me, when I get back in a few weeks, the Logan's will have anger on their faces. They won't know what hit them." Steffy steals a glance at her mother and sees the smirk on her face.

"Do you need me to go with you to Paris?"

"No, I'll be alright. I'll need you to have my back when I get back here though!" Steffy looks at her brother.

"Of course! I'm always on your side."

"Good!"

~OTTmF~

Steffy left LA the next morning and Liam was worried that she wouldn't come back, but he also had a honeymoon to get to. The problem was that he just didn't feel like going on a honeymoon. He worried about Steffy too much to focus on his relationship with his wife.

Hope had just screamed at Liam that he'd better take her on this honeymoon or stop thinking about Steffy. His answer.

"Well, until I know Steffy is okay, I'm not going on a honeymoon."

Hope's reaction, she ran out of the house and went to her mothers.

~OTTmF~

 _March 27_ _th_ _2013_

Almost five weeks passed before Steffy came back to LA and the first place she needed to visit was her grandfather´s office at Forrester Creations. She had gotten back the night before and gone straight to bed.

At the moment she was walking towards her grandfather´s office to let him know that she's back and who should she meet if not the former bride. She's happy that she's wearing a coat.

"Well, look at the former bride." Steffy gives the woman a smile.

Hope just snarls at her as she's walking past her.

"Not a happy marriage then I take it?"

"What exactly do you know about happy marriages?"

"Well, at least Liam and I were happy during our marriage, doesn't seem like you two are. But hey, marrying another woman´s boyfriend would do that to you!"

"You married my fiancé!"

"No, I married **my** fiancé, you dumped him remember?" Steffy stares her right in the eyes. "Anyway, I'm going to go see my granddad about something."

Hope continues on her path and Steffy continues on towards Eric´s office. She knocks on the door and enters when she hears her grandfather call out to come in.

She walks over to the chair on the other side of his desk and sits down.

"Well, look who's back!" Her grandfather looks at her with a big smile on his face.

"That I am! And some people won't be happy with that."

"Well, I can't do anything about that."

"Of course, you can! You need to set boundaries and you need to stop pitting us against each other! Stand by your decisions because there will be trouble coming between me and Hope."

"What kind of trouble?" He looks at her with curiosity in his eyes.

She stands up with her back against him and takes her coat off, then turns around to show off the visible baby bump.

"Oh." Eric sighs. "Did you know when Liam and Hope got married?"

"I did, I found out before I went to Paris after grandma died."

"Does Liam know?"

"No, I wanted him to choose me for me, he chose her so I left to get away from the stress of having to answer all these implications that I got pregnant on purpose to keep Liam from the Logan's."

"They'd never think that though!"

"Really? Do you seriously think that? Brooke planned a wedding between my boyfriend and her daughter without my boyfriend even ending our relationship. You really think they'd not say anything about me getting pregnant by my boyfriend?"

"No, I don't."

"Well then. I guess you'll be disappointed! You just never get to see the nasty side of that family!"

"Now you're being unfair!"

"Really? We'll just see about that then." Steffy picks up her coat again and puts it on. "I have somewhere I need to be. Good bye!"

Steffy then walks out of the building and goes to her car to go to her second destination.

~OTTmF~

Four hours later, Liam walks into his father's office. "I messed up dad!"

"Why do you say that? You are married to the woman 'of your dreams' right?"

"No. The woman of my dreams is having my baby and she's not my wife."

"What?" Bill is taken by surprise. "Is Steffy pregnant?"

"Yeah. About four months along now." Liam sighs. "What am I going to do?"

Bill starts to say something, but then he remembers the promise he made to Steffy before she left for Paris and stops. "Well, you made your bed, now you lay in it. She obviously wanted you to choose her for her that's why she didn't tell you about the baby while you were making your decision."

"I thought you'd be a little more supportive of me!"

"Please, you married Hope even though your heart said it was the wrong thing to do, why should I be supportive of that? But, you did marry Hope and you can't just dump her because Steffy told you she's pregnant. Hope, her mother and aunts won't be happy about this and Steffy will take the brunt of it."

"Yeah, I can't believe I'm going to have to put her through that."

"Well then, don't make her. Sit them down and explain to them that Steffy is having your baby and that they don't need to berate her about anything."

"Do you really think they'd listen to me?"

"Of course not, but you need to make it abundantly clear that you'll have none of it." Bill slams his fist into the desk. "I have somewhere I need to be!"

Bill logs off the computer and fetches his coat. An hour or so later, he's standing outside Steffy´s apartment knocking on her door.

"Well, hello Bill!" Steffy smiles at him as she opened the door. "You came by sooner than I thought you would."

"Well, my son came into my office asking me what to do, so I figured I should check up on you!"

"Thank you for that, but there was no need to." She lets him into the apartment and he sees that Taylor and Thomas are there.

"You're just waiting then?"

"Yeah, the Logan's are bound to come within the next few hours."

All four of them look at each other.

~OTTmF~

When Hope came home that afternoon, she sees on Liam´s face that he's gotten some news that might not be the most pleasant news he's ever heard.

"What's wrong?"

"You're not going to be happy with the news I got today, but not for the reasons I'm not happy about them."

"Okay?"

"Steffy is pregnant with my baby!" He sees her step back at the news.

" **What?** " Hope glares at him. "You cannot be serious! So, what? You're going to leave me now because your ex is having your baby? You'd really give up what we have for that.. that... "

"That what?" Liam raises his eyebrows. "I gave up what I had with her for you because your mother planned a wedding to remind me of Puglia. I moved on after you chose to believe a lie."

"So, what?" Hope glares at him. "You're going to hold that against me for the rest of our life together?"

"Well, didn't you want me to hold the gondola thing over Steffy´s head? Why should I do one thing against her and not hold you accountable for your choices the way you want me to hold her accountable for hers? What makes you so special?"

"Well, I am your wife!"

"So was **she**!" He bangs his hand in the coffee table. "She was my wife because you chose to give up on us over something as minor as a kiss that didn't even mean more than good bye and you took your ring off and walked out without a word. Then Steffy´s accident happened and all that. You and I give each other another chance and then you decide once again that we're not worth it. So, I move on with Steffy. Then you find out you were lied to like Steffy and I **repeatedly** told you that you had been. You keep blaming Steffy for us breaking up but you never blame your own choices. This baby that Steffy is carrying was conceived in a loving relationship and you shouldn't believe anything else, you just know what I'm saying and you stay away from Steffy! Unless she speaks to you, you don't speak to her. Stay away from her!"

"Oh please, are you seriously telling me that I can't go to her and expect her to explain herself after she's threatened my marriage?"

" **Yes!"** Liam glares at her. "Because she knows my feelings about growing up without my father and she **knew** about the baby when you and I were married. So now you tell me where Steffy is threatening your marriage?"

"She's carrying your baby, what other reason do you want?"

"She was carrying that baby while she was standing on the patio watching me put that ring on your finger." He points to her hand. "But she didn't tell us to stop, she didn't do anything to stop that wedding even though she was perfectly allowed to!"

"Why was she perfectly allowed to stop our wedding?" Hope takes a step back at the shock of Liam´s admission.

"Because I didn't ask you to marry me! Because I was her boyfriend! That baby was conceived in a loving relationship that happened before we were even married!" His face tells her that she shouldn't argue back. "She had a trump card that she could have used at any point of me deciding who I wanted to be with, but she didn't because she apparently wanted an even playing field. **Did** you and your mother allow the same?"

"How do you even know she's carrying your baby?"

"Are you questioning her ability to be faithful?"

"Well, you never know with Steffy."

"You know what?"

" **What?** " Hope snaps.

"Every single word that comes out of your mouth makes me less and less likely to stay in this marriage. I've tried to stay in this relationship, but you continuously show that this relationship is nothing but a win for you!"

"Oh please, she's the one who sees you as a prize, not me! I just wanted the relationship I was robbed of."

"Ah, but Steffy didn't rob you of any relationship, neither did I." Hope huffs. "You don't agree with me, right?"

"No, I don't! She went after you with everything she had knowing you were in a relationship with me."

"So? Don't you and I have any responsibility in any of this? Is Steffy responsible for me choosing to kiss her? No! She's not responsible for that, that's a choice **I** made." Liam sighs. "Is Steffy responsible for you choosing to believe that DJ? **No!** That's your choice! Steffy fought to keep her and I together. You just walk away and then when you realize you screwed up you call out this 'We were robbed'-mantra and your family tries their best to get you what you want."

Silent tears start forming in Hope´s eyes. Liam just looks at her. "You stay away from her and your mother and her sisters had better not say one word to her that does not revolve around the company. Anything they say to Steffy about our baby and you can pack your bags!"

"What do you mean?"

"If you, Brooke, Katie or Donna say something to Steffy that's not business-related, you can pack your bags because I'm throwing you out. If you can't live with the fact that Steffy is having my baby then I don't need you in my life! Trust me on this, any stress put on Steffy from you or your family and our marriage is over!" He points at her. "Stay away from her!"

Hope throws him an angry look then walks into the study taking her phone with her.

~OTTmF~

 **From Hope**

Steffy is having Liam´s baby.

 **To Hope**

Well, that's a little too convenient don't you think?

"What on earth is that.. that.. girl planning now?" Brooke says outloud.

 **From Hope**

Apparently she 'knew' before she went to Paris to visit her father the first time. Liam claims Steffy knew she was pregnant when she stood there watching him putting the ring on my finger.

 **To Hope**

Oh please, like she wouldn't have used that little fact to get him to choose her.

"I need to go see her and talk her out of trying to get Liam back."

Her phone starts ringing. **Hope calling.** Brooke answers the phone.

"Hi Hope! I'm on my way to see Steffy about that bait she has growing in her belly."

"No mom! You can't do that!"

"Why not? Why can't I talk to that trouble maker about her keeping Liam´s child away from him? If it's even his child in the first place, how exactly do we know it's his kid at all?"

"Because if you do, Liam will throw me out or so he says. If you, aunt Katie, aunt Donna or I go and talk to Steffy about anything that's not business related, he'll throw me out and annul our marriage."

"Why would he do that?"

"Mom! We've been married for a little over five weeks and we still haven't even made love and not for a lack of trying on my part! To top that off, he says he didn't want the marriage in the first place." Hope starts crying on the other end of the line.

"Of course, he wants this marriage, he wouldn't have put that ring on your finger otherwise. He's just second guessing his decision now because Steffy is supposedly having his child." Brooke tries to reassure her daughter.

"But I can't risk it mom, you need to stay away from Steffy." Brooke can tell that Hope desperately wants to confront Steffy about the baby.

"Okay, I promise I won't talk to Steffy about anything concerning the baby."

~OTTmF~

 **AN:**

 **That's chapter one. Let me know what you think!**

 **The next one should be up by the beginning of November!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:**

 **As always, I do not own a single thing**

 **I just needed something else to write for a little bit, so this is the latest chapter of a one shot that I started writing for What if.., but it ended up being way over the number of pages I normally have for my stories, so I decided to make this a two shot.** **I'm thinking it'll be what the title says, meaning four chapters!**

 **Anyway, I got some exciting news yesterday and today so I thought I'd post this a little earlier then planned!!**

 **Happy Halloween everyone!!**

One, two, three and maybe four?

 **Chapter two**

The next day, Steffy is visiting her mothers house lounging about the pool when there's a knock on the door. Taylor looks outside through the patio doors before going to check who's on the other side of the door. She opens with a big smile on her face.

"Well, if it isn't Liams proud mother in law?" She tilts her head.

"Well, if it isn't Liams proud baby mama's mother?" Brooke snarls. "Or, is it even Liams baby?"

"Oh, it is. I found the pregnancy test that Steffy took before leaving for Paris to visit her father after Stephanie died. You know, the same day that your daughter couldn't help but run over to Liams as fast as she could and jumped him after grabbing all of Steffys clothes out of the dresser and then proceeded to make out with him on top of them. How does it feel knowing that your daughter couldn't wait to pounce on a man in a relationship with a woman who's gone to visit her father half way across the world?" Taylor happily looks over at Brookes shocked face.

"Hope would never do that! She has a much better moral compass than your daughter!"

"Well, actually, Steffy saw them when she went home to tell Liam about the baby. But she chose to leave LA anyway. Putting a whole lot more confidence in her relationship with Liam than your daughter ever has!" Taylor opens the door and lets Brooke inside the house.

"Yeah, like your daughter has never lied about anything before?" Brooke huffs.

"Well, regardless, I hope your daughter is well-equipped to handle being married to a man who's having his first born with another woman. Especially since Liam doesn't want his child to grow up without it's father there all the time." Taylor smiles once again. "So, tell me, how are the newlyweds? Have they been on their honeymoon yet?" She raises her eyebrows.

"They'll be going as soon as this whole mess has been handled, either by going for full custody for Liam or no custody for Liam at all. I mean, he is married and there is bound to be more children from that marriage, why should Steffys baby be so important? It will be born outside of marriage."

"Says the woman who has had four children born out of wedlock. Oh, right, three of the four children's fathers were married at the time of the child's birth. I'm not counting Jack here because we both know you didn't even want him, you just wanted Nick at the time."

"Like you should talk?" Brooke smirks.

"Four kids, one born during his father's wedding ceremony to another woman and then three kids born inside a marriage to the kids fathers to you equals getting pregnant by another womans husband, finding out your pregnant by a man not your husband at the time of conception. Then that same baby turning out to being your husbands baby at conception, but not your husband at the time of birth, getting pregnant by your daughters husband and then getting yourself knocked up just minutes after your husband dies in a furnace, although it turns out that you got pregnant on your wedding night, but the father is not your husband when the child is born?" Taylor starts getting up from the arm chair she's been sitting on. "So, I'm longing for a cup of coffee, do you want a cup?"

"You really think I'd be interested in anything you'd have to offer?"

"Well, no, but I have to ask."

Taylor leaves to go to the kitchen, meanwhile, things have gotten a little too hot for Steffy down by the pool so she gets up from the lounge chair and jumps in the pool. The splashing sound makes Brooke curious as to who Taylor has visiting, so she walks out on the patio and sees Steffy doing a lap of back stroke, her bump clearly visible. A little while later, Taylor walks out looking for Brooke.

"That right there is the child you robbed of a family because you couldn't stand to see Liam willingly choose anyone other than your daughter, so you manipulated him into a wedding with a girl he wasn't even in a relationship with. How does it feel?" Taylor points to Steffys bump. "Just like you manipulated Ridge into marrying you knowing I was having his child."

Brooke turns around towards Taylor and slaps her.

"Still can't stand being told the truth I see." Taylor nods her head. "I believe it's time for you to go. Liam is coming to pick Steffy up for a doctor's appointment at any time and I do believe he doesn't want you anywhere near Steffy right now."

Just as she says it, the doorbell rings and Taylor call out to the other person to come in. The door opens and in comes Liam and the first thing he sees is Brooke standing there.

Taylor looks over at Brooke. "Well, you better go hide then or leave completely before Steffy even knows you're here!"

Taylor sees Liam completely relax at the news that Steffy doesn't even know Brooke is there, but he glares towards her none the less.

"I told your daughter that you were to stay away from Steffy at all costs. I guess I should have included her mother, brother, father and any other relatives in her close proximity. Stay away from Steffy and her family!" Liam says pointedly before walking outside to the pool. "One more time and Hope is out!"

"Oh please, you don't mean that!" Brooke scoffs.

"Really?" Taylor blurts out. "Did you not see the look on his face before I told you to hide or get out before Steffy finds out you're here?"

"What look?"

"Still can't see what's right in front of you. Well, anyway, you need to leave now, if for no other reason than saving your daughters marriage."

Taylor and Liam watch as Brooke thinks about what to do until they hear someone walking up the stairs. "Hey mom! Has Liam arrived yet? We're going to be late if he hasn't!"

The panic is evident in Brookes eyes and she scramble to gather her purse and take her keys out and runs out the door. A few seconds after the front door closes, Steffy walks through the patio doors.

"Hey mom, what happened to your face?" Steffy squints her eyes and pulls her eyebrows together.

"Oh, I just had a guest and they slapped me, nothing to worry about!" Taylor walks over to her daughter and pulls her in with her hands on her cheeks before kissing her forehead.

"Oh, I take it Brooke stopped by?" Steffy sees her mother nod.

"Anyway, off you go and make sure that baby is doing okay!"

~OTTmF~

Later that evening, Liam walks through the door to the cliff house and sees Hope sitting on the couch.

"So, have you heard that your mother went to see Taylor today?" Liams tone of voice carries a sense of accusations with it.

"No, not until you told me just now!" Hope just looks up looking as innocently as possible.

"Yeah, you know, I don't think I can believe that." Liam sits down on the arm chair across the coffee table.

"Why not?"

"Well, because that look you have on your face right now is the one you think works on me when you've done something wrong. So, I'm going to guess that either you told your mother to go talk to Taylor, or Brooke told you she was going and you didn't talk her out of it." Liam watches her facial expressions. "I'm going to go with the first one."

"Well, you said we couldn't go talk to Steffy, so we chose her mother." Hope looks him straight into his eyes.

"And you didn't think that it would cause Steffy stress after Taylor told her your mother had stopped by to talk to her about the baby? Your mother slapped Taylor."

Hope just shrugs her shoulders. "Well, Taylor must have said something to mom then that wasn't true."

"Taylor had just pointed out that Brooke had robbed my baby of its family when she arranged that wedding for us and that she'd done the same when she married Ridge knowing that Taylor was pregnant with Ridges child."

"Well, obviously Taylor shouldn't have said that or she wouldn't get slapped. It's as simple as that!"

"No, it's as simple as Brooke not going to visit Taylor wouldn't have gotten Taylor slapped. That's how simple it is! Stay away from Steffy and her family or you're out!" Liam pounded his fist into the coffee table between them causing Hope to jump. " **You need to trust that**!"

He gets up and starts walking towards the front door. "I'm going to go visit my dad and little brother and **you** need to get your priorities straight."

He leaves her and just as the front door closes, tears start flowing from her face.

~OTTmF~

He knocks on the door to Steffys childhood home and waits for someone to open. He hears someone open the lock and then sees the handle turning.

"Well, if it isn't the proud father to be." Bill stands on the other side of the door. "So, what's up?"

Bill opens the door even more and then lets Liam inside, points him to the couch in the living room.

"I told Hope that if she, her mothers or her aunts were to have any contact with Steffy at all unless it was company related and absolutely no contact in regards to the baby, Hope was getting thrown out of the house and I'd annul the marriage."

"Good for you! How did she take it?"

"Well, I thought she understood what it would cost her if any of them had any contact with Steffy at all and apparently she did, because they found what they thought was a loop hole. Brooke went to see Taylor today." Liam throws himself against the back rest of the couch with a sigh.

"Well then, technically she didn't do anything wrong?"

"Well, had Brooke not slapped Taylor, Steffy wouldn't even have known that Brooke had been there, but it caused Steffy to be concerned and that caused stress and the stress caused high blood pressure and that is a risk for the baby." Liam places his hands on the sides of his head. "The appointment went good aside from that though. Baby is growing as it should."

"Well, that's good then!" Bill smiles. "In regards to Brookes visiting Taylor, what are you going to do about it?"

"As of right now, if it happens one more time, Hope is out. I can't be with a woman who would willingly risk my babys health."

Bill just nods his head.

~OTTmF~

 _Two weeks later._

Steffy is walking through the halls of Forrester Creations to speak with her grandfather. She knocks on the door and hears him say to come in.

She walks through the door and gives him a big smile, then she sees who else is there. "Hello Brooke! Hope!"

The looks the two women send his granddaughter causes Eric concern. Steffy on the other hand turns her attention back to her grandfather. "You wanted to see me?"

"I did, there has been concerns in regards how this pregnancy is going to affect the company."

Steffy just smiles. "Really? I can only guess where they are coming from. So, what are they?"

"Oh, you know, just the usual, it's going to reflect badly that one of the company owners has gotten herself pregnant by her former stepsisters husband." Eric shrugs his shoulder.

"Like it did when my former stepsister married my boyfriend? Or when my former stepsister was screwing a married man?" Steffy just raises her eyebrows. "About that much? I mean, getting myself pregnant by a man I was living with at the time can't possibly be as bad as when my former stepsister was screwing my husband while preaching that every girl should wait for marriage and then was seen kissing my husband by a fan out in public."

Steffy has been talking with a calm voice the entire time, knowing that Brooke, Hope or both would blow up any minute.

"Well, when you say it like that it probably wouldn't cause the company much of anything." Eric just smiles at her.

"Are you kidding me?" Brooke lashes out. "Steffy went out of her way to go after my daughter's fiancé and you're just going to let this go? You're going to let this homewrecker just walk away?"

Eric is taken a back. "Oh, you mean like I did when you screwed my daughters' husband behind all of our backs because the man you thought you should be with didn't want to leave his wife and kids like you wanted him to? I should've thrown you out of the family for that, but no, I decided to help you keep your secret the second time you wanted the man Bridget was in love with and married you because of it."

"Granddad! Calm down. Let it go! We both know that this isn't going to have a negative effect on the company because of me. It'll be because of those two, the two women who broke up a family with a child on the way. So, how about you deal with them and leave me out of it?"

Eric takes a deep breath. "Okay, okay. Thank you for stopping by!"

"Have a good rest of your day!"

Eric sees Steffy leave his office and then turns his attention back at Brooke and Hope. Brooke squints her eyes. Hope just looks shocked.

"Are you really going to just let her walk away like that?" Brooke snarls.

"Yes, because she hasn't done anything wrong in this situation!" Eric says.

"Yeah, right. She didn't just move in on my fiancé before our wedding after Italy." Hope scowls.

"No, she didn't." Eric says causing both Hope and Brooke to glare at him.

"Yes, she did!" Both women say.

"No, she didn't and I'm going to tell you the reasons why. 1. Steffy supposedly kissing Liam or sleeping with him before the do-over wedding did not happen. 2. Liam is the one who went to her after Hope had already dumped him. 3. Hope was not his fiancé because **Hope** dumped him in front of family and friends claiming that his love wasn't enough for her after being told a lie that Liam denied had happened by a man she'd not said a single word other to then request a song. Steffy picked up the pieces of a broken-hearted Liam after Hope dumped him after demanding a re-do wedding after refusing to sign the papers making the Puglia-wedding legal in the US. Steffy and Liam then grew so close that he decided to ask her to move in, which she did. Then Stephanie died and Ridge wanted Steffy to come visit him in Paris, but before going to Paris, she goes home to tell Liam about the baby she's carrying but sees Hope on top of her boyfriend and her clothes, so she decided to go to Paris anyway and for Liam to get you out of his system!" Eric looks at them closely and as he's about to continue, he's interrupted.

"Steffy went to Paris because she knew the lie had come out and Liam was going to leave her!"

"Steffy is not the one who lied, she knew the truth and she told you the truth over and over and over, but you chose to listen to a man you didn't even know over the man who's supposedly the love of your life. Tell me, how is Steffys fault that you can't take the word of your fiancé over a man you don't even know?"

"I.. I.." Hope tries to find the words.

"Well, looking back on their history it's not so hard to believe."

"Whos? Steffy and Liams?" He sees them nod. "When has Steffy ever lied about kissing Liam?"

"Well, there's Aspen!"

"When did Liam and Steffy kiss in Aspen? I mean, other than when they got married after trapping me in the gondola forcing me to watch them and when aunt Katie sent you there?" Hope asks her mother.

"Who held a gun to your head forcing you to look at Steffy and Liam getting married? Why not turn around?" Eric tilts his head.

"We're not talking about that!" Hope snaps. "When did Steffy and Liam kiss in Aspen other than when they got married?"

"Well, there is that time when Katie sent us on a wild goose chase and then there's when he ripped up the annulment papers." Brooke realizes what she says too late.

Hope recoils. "You mean to say that Steffy signed the annulment papers she took with her to Aspen and then Liam ripped them up?"

"No!" Brooke tries her hardest to take back what she said. Hope just gets up and goes out of the office.

She searches her way towards Steffys office and knocks on the door. She hears Steffy calling for her to come in and she does so with tears in her eyes.

"So, are you here to apologize for trying to cause problems between my grandfather and me?" Steffy looks closely at Hope, sees that she's been crying.

"No, I'm not. Or yes, I am. I don't know. But could you answer a question for me?"

"As long as it doesn't have to do with the baby or Liam, sure."

"Well then, I'm sorry I wasted your time."

"Good! Now, if there's anything you wanted to talk to me about me and Liam or me and my baby, you have a husband to talk to about that, I suggest you talk to him about it. It's not my responsibility to keep you happy or content." Steffy just waves her off after that.

Hope just nods her head and leaves Steffy behind.

Steffy picks up her phone and sends Liam a text.

 **To Liam**

I'm thinking Hope found out about Aspen, you should find a way to tell her about ripping those papers.

She lays her phone down and goes back to work. Fifteen minutes later she hears her phone beeping, so she picks it up and reads what the text says.

 **From Liam**

Who told her?

 **To Liam**

She came in here wanting to talk about something and when I saw her in granddads office, she seemed like her normal self, but when she came to my office after that, she had been crying and since granddad does not know about Aspen and Brooke does, there's only one person who could have told her.

She turns her attention back to her computer after that and doesn't hear when Liam responds to her text and doesn't check her phone until she leaves for the day.

 **From Liam**

I'm sorry I'm putting you through this.

Steffy just sighs when she reads the text.

"Well, that's what happens when you make the wrong choice."

~OTTmF~

Hope walks through the door to her home expecting to find Liam standing there with her things packed. What she finds is a letter addressed to her.

" _Hi Hope!_

 _This is me, your husband writing this._

 _I got a text from Steffy that you found out about the kiss we shared in Aspen today and I wanted to explain what my feelings were about that. I still wanted to marry you back then, but I had given my word to Steffy that I was not going to annul our marriage because it actually meant something to me and I couldn't deny her the last thing she requested of me. It was also only three weeks left until the divorce went through and four weeks until our wedding in Puglia._

 _I know you're probably upset right now, but Steffy and I decided that you didn't need to learn about this because it would only hurt you in ways you didn't deserve at the time. So, we locked it in a box and never talked about it with each other again. I know that Steffy told her mother and grandmother at one point and during that conversation Brooke was listening on the other side of the door and the only reason she hasn't told you is because Steffy got her to not tell you by pleading that you didn't need that betrayal._

 _I would think that the kiss Steffy and I shared as the clock struck the time when our divorce was final would be a much bigger betrayal, so I'll give you the truth about mine and Steffys relationship. Many of the kisses I shared with Steffy during the engagements that you and I shared, were initiated by me. Some of the times we kissed, all I needed was for her to stand in front of me._

 _Just so you know, Steffy is the only reason you and I got married in Puglia at all. I was done, there was too much water under our bridge, but she said I had come here for a reason, to marry you, and that's what I should do. So, I did._

 _Anyway. You apparently had words with Steffy today about some things. Your suitcases are on the bed. If you take anything that isn't yours, I'll know about it, but if you think taking something would give me a reason to talk to you again, you're wrong. If you do take something, that would be stealing and you'll have to talk to the police._

 _Currently, I'm at my lawyer talking about drawing up annulment papers._

 _I hope your life turns out the way you want it to, but I won't be a part of it as your husband anymore!_

 _All my love,_

 _Liam Cooper Spencer"_

Hope has tears running down her face as she finishes reading his letter. Then she turned it over.

" _PS._

 _I left my phone in the bedroom unlocked for you to read what Steffy wrote when she told me you somehow found out so you'd know that Steffy did not tell me to write this letter, but to just find a way to tell you about the annulment papers and my reasoning for ripping them up._

 _DS"_

Hope rushes to the bedroom and Liams phone, seeing the suitcases as she sits down on the bed.

She reads all the conversations Steffy and Liam has had over the last two weeks, finding only four conversations.

Steffy asking Liam if he was home or at the office the day after she came back from Paris and letting him know she was coming to speak to him about something.

Steffy letting him know when the appointment was two weeks ago.

Him letting her know he was on his way to pick her up on the day of the appointment and then Steffy letting him know that Hope probably knew about their kiss in Aspen and the annulment papers.

"I should have trusted him." She says into thin air and then starts packing the suitcases.

~OTTmF~

Two weeks later, Hope is sitting in the office of her lawyer listening to her explain what the papers in front of her meant. Hope just nods at the times where she should and then picks up a pen and signs the papers in front of her, making her marriage null and void.

Her mother had tried to talk her out of it, but she knew she had messed up and she really didn't trust her mother anymore. It would take some hard work on her mother's part to regain her trust.

The day after reading Liams letter, she had gone to talk to Steffy and apologized for not seeing and realizing the love and bond between Liam and Steffy even existed. Steffy had just smiled and let her know that those thoughts probably came more from her mother, then Hope herself and after Hope thought about it, she realized that Steffy was right.

She had also gone to talk to Liam and she asked him the hardest question to have answered. She asked who he was going to choose and she could see it in his eyes. It had been Steffy all along.

She leaves the office of her lawyer and starts making her way home. Suddenly a wave of emotions crashes over her and she has to sit down. She sits on the bench by the road for at least fifteen minutes. After a while, she feels someone sitting down.

"So, tell me, why is a girl like you sitting on this bench crying on a beautiful day like this one?"

Hope is startled into stopping the crying session and turns her head towards the voice of the person who's talking. What she sees makes her smile. The woman sitting next to her reminds her of Stephanie.

"I just ended my marriage and I've realized some things over the last two weeks about myself and it all crashed over me just now."

"Oh, it'll get better. You'll be alright!" The woman smiles. "You just know that it'll get better with time and as long as you realize that you can't make other people behave the way you want them to all the time. Take care of yourself. Your forever could be right around the corner!" A mysterious smile graces the womans face.

"You think so?"

"I do! You just have to be open to who it is and allow yourself to fall for this person. Head over heels in love, just like your former Stepsister does when she falls for someone. Just let yourself go!" The woman smiles. "Oh, and Hope for the Future isn't a valid name for your line anymore, especially not with the message you're trying to send the fans. Maybe it's time to change it?"

"Maybe!" Hope looks at her with wonder in her eyes.

"You take care now and remember! The only person you can change is yourself! Find your joys outside of a relationship with a man and you'll be fine!" The woman then gets up from the bench and boards a bus that has just arrived.

"Who was that woman?" Hope wonders to herself. "And how did she know who I am?"

Feeling better and less prone to cry her eyes out, Hope leaves the bench and starts walking towards her car. She finds it and places her purse on the passenger sides seat.

She looks around to see if she can leave and when she sees an opening she leaves. She drives home to the apartment she bought two days ago and finds her way there.

She pulls her keys up from her purse and unlocks her door, walks through, places her purse on the floor next to the door and walks into the room she plans to have as her bedroom and lays down on the blow-up mattress she has in there and she falls asleep.

~OTTmF~

While Hope is sleeping, Steffy Forrester and Liam Spencer walks out from the ultra sound technician's office with smiles on their faces.

"So, you want to go tell your father?"

"Sure!"

And they go to the parking lot and take their cars to go to Spencer Publications.

They arrive at their destination almost at the same time and go up to Bills office together. Steffy knocks on the door and hears Bill calling for them to come in.

Steffy walks through the door first. "Hi Steffy! How was your appointment today?"

The he sees Liam. "Oh, hi Liam! How are you doing? Have you heard anything from Hopes lawyer?"

"Appointment was good and I have, the papers are signed and filed."

"How are you feeling about that?"

"I'm okay, I have my baby girl to focus on at the moment."

"Did you just say baby girl? You found out the gender of your baby today?"

"We did!" Steffy smiles. "Baby girl Forrester-Spencer is growing as she should."

"That's good!"

Steffy had decided that she didn't need anything else from Liam then for him to be a good dad to their baby and therefore had said that a relationship between them wasn't in her plans anymore. Liam on the other hand had realized that he needed to be more than just their babys father and had decided to fight for his relationship with Steffy. Steffy wasn't having it though and she rebuffed every attempt he made to get close to her, because of this, he had started to pull away in an attempt to draw Steffy back into his arms again, but all Steffy felt was relief, she had enough on her plate with the baby coming, planning for that and getting the nursery done, at both of the babys parents living quarters.

It was now three months left of the pregnancy and nesting had begun, borderline going overboard.

"Steffy?" Bill looks at her with concern in her eyes. "Where did you go?"

"Oh, there is just all this nesting going on in my head and I found something else to put on my list. Now, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have you leave you now as I need to take a nap and I want my bed!" Steffy picks up her purse and walks out of the office as Bill and Liam say good bye.

When she's gone, Bill looks his sons way. "So, what's going on between the two of you?"

Liam sighs in defeat. "Nothing, absolutely nothing." He places his head in his hands, before groaning in displeasure. "I thought I would have been able to sway her my way by now. She's never been this disinterested in me ever before."

"Well, yeah, can you blame her? Remember what happened the last time you claimed to be completely loyal to her and your relationship?" Bill points his pen towards his son to make a point. "I totally understand why she's pulling back from you the more you push."

"Well, I don't. I don't get it at all, I mean, what more can I do? I annulled my marriage for her and I've spent the last few weeks fighting to get her back." Liam is getting frustrated.

"Yes, you annulled your marriage for her, but did you ever think what that marriage meant for Steffy and her future? It meant that her boyfriend didn't find it important enough to tell her that she was important enough to break up with to marry someone else."

"Yeah, well, she didn't feel it was important enough to tell me that I was going to be a father."

"But, she stood there watching you place a ring on Hopes finger without a thought of her and what she might be going through after telling her over and over again that you hope that she knows you love her. Before coming home that day, what was the last thing you said to Steffy?"

"I love you!"

"Before talking to Hope when you arrived at the cliff house, what was the last thing you said to Hope?"

"Good bye."

"What does that tell you in regards to the feelings you had for either woman and what Steffy felt you would decide and the result of that day?"

"I've been focusing on my feelings instead of hers. She doesn't trust my love for her anymore."

"Ding! Ding! Ding!" Bill knocks his pen against an invisible bell. "When it comes to you and Steffy, who has been thinking about the other persons feelings the most in the relationship up until the wedding?"

"I've taken her for granted."

"She promised to be there for you even if you weren't together, have you done the same?" Bill sees Liam shake his head. "So, what should you do for her now and what should you not do?"

"I should stay and not walk away. I need to be a constant in her life and not walk away like I've done so many times before."

"It's not about fighting for your relationship, it's about showing her that you're not leaving her behind because she's not doing what you want her to do, it's about you being there for her and proving that she can trust you. She's pregnant and it's not just her anymore, to Steffy, she's not important anymore and her baby has her entire attention and for you to demand her attention away from her baby is not showing her that you've grown into the role of a father yet. Maybe you should see a therapist or someone like that to figure out what you need to do to grow up."

Liam nods his head before sighing and then leaving.

~OTTmF~

 _August 24_ _th_ _2013_

 _Steffys condo_

She was two days from her due date when the contractions started increasing in strength.

"Okay, baby girl, I'll do what you want." Steffy rubs her hand on her lower back as another contraction starts before calling her brother.

She explains what's going on and Thomas says he'll come by after calling Liam to meet them at the hospital.

Twenty minutes later, Steffy has her hospital bag, purse and a bottle of water with her as she leaves the condo. Thomas meets her as she gets out of the elevator and grabs her stuff before leading her to a chair so she can hold on while another contraction runs its course.

Forty minutes after that, she's sitting in a wheelchair getting wheeled in by her brother to the labor and delivery ward at the hospital she's chosen to have the baby at.

Twelve hours after that, Steffy is handed a little bundle with the biggest tufts of hair she's ever seen, causing her to laugh.

"Look, taking after her mother already!" Liam smiles down over Steffys shoulder at the little girl in her arms. "So, what should we call this little one?"

"Aspen Phoebe Forrester."

"Why not Spencer?" Liam is confused.

"Because she is a Forrester jewel. She may be your daughter by blood, but she is a Forrester jewel. No matter what happens, she'll be a Forrester jewel."

"Well, by that logic, she's also a Spencer jewel so she should have my last name as her last name."

Thomas clears his throat. "Why don't you take a look at your daughter and see if you can find any Spencer genes in her."

Liam looks closely at his daughter and all he sees is Steffy. "Yeah, you're right, she's a Forrester jewel."

~OTTmF~

One year later, Steffy is rushing around her apartment getting things ready for her daughters first birthday party.

The first year had started off with a constant flow of crying baby, baby hick ups and dirty diapers.

Three months in, the crying had stopped as had the hick ups, dirty diapers were still happening. Two machines of dirty laundry going every two days, unless there had been an explosion disaster.

Liam came by daily to visit his daughter and they bonded instantly. Aspen was always so happy to hear her father's voice and see him when he came over.

A knock on the door told Steffy that she's about to have some company, looking at the clock she can see that it's still a few hours left until the party starts, but she goes and opens the door. Seeing who's on the other side makes her smile

and invites them in.

"So, what can we do to help?"

"Beverages need to be placed in the fridge, cookies needs to be made, the dough is in the freezer to make cutting easier, cake needs to be picked up in an hour.." She sniffs the air. "..and the buns need to be taken out of the oven and the next round needs to go in, decorations needs to be put up and I need a shower."

"Well, we'll help with everything except your shower!" Hope says with a smile towards Steffy and then she turns towards the man she came with. "Can you start by taking those buns out of the oven, put the next round of buns in and then start on those cookies while Steffy takes a shower and I put the beverages in the fridge before moving on to decorations?"

"Sounds good to me!"

"Good! Thank you for coming to help me!"

"No worries, it's not like we had anything better to do!" The man laughs.

"Well, thank you anyway, Adam, I know it can't be easy spending time with your girlfriend's ex-husband and his ex-wife and their daughter."

"As I said, no worries. Your family has some interesting twists and turns that I would have to spend time with everyone regardless, besides, it helps that I like all of you! Especially your daughter!"

"She's a gem!" Steffy says with a big proud smile on her face.

"Where is she by the way?"

"She spent the night at her fathers, should be here in a few hours. Now, get to work!" Steffy wanders off, picks her pre-party outfit and then goes to take a shower. Ten minutes later she emerges with damp hair to smell newly baked cookies in the air.

When she walks out into the living room after putting the shorts and tank top she's met with a fully decorated space. "Well, you've all worked fast, haven't you?"

"Well, we just pinned things where you'd already laid them out in between taking the cookies out of the oven. Besides, there were two of us, of course we'd be able to get everything done faster than you on your own."

Steffy looks over the entire scene again before looking over at Hope with a smile on her face. "You have a point!"

The three of them laugh a little before getting back to business.

An hour and forty-five minutes later, Steffy walks back into the apartment with a cake box in her hands.

Walking through the living room she notices that Hope and Adam has gone to sit down on the couch and fallen asleep in each other's arms. She also notices that everything is ready for the party, apparently Hope and Adam took out the plates, forks and spoons, glasses, coffee cups and have prepared the coffee maker so all she has to do is place the cake on the cake stand, press the on button on the coffee maker and then take the juices, iced teas and the other beverages out of the fridge.

All of the fruit was prepared yesterday, the sandwiches were made then as well. It would be a really good first birthday party.

There weren't really that many people coming, but at least the ones who did come would be well fed.

~OTTmF~

 **AN:**

 **I found this to be a good breaking point for this chapter, the next one starts off on the same day!**

 **Let me know what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN:**

 **In honor of finals being over, I wanted to celebrate by uploading chapter three of this story. This is in fact the last chapter, with only a epilogue to go.**

 **I hope you enjoy!**

 **Also, leave me your thoughts on what's happening on the show right now!**

 **So, the next installment in One, two, three, maybe four? is coming your way!**

 **As always, I don't own a thing!**

One, two, three and maybe four?

 **Chapter three**

 _Same day, evening_

 _Steffy´s apartment_

Later that evening, Steffy gently lays her daughter down for the night before walking out to the living room to look at the disaster that a birthday party would leave behind, she sighs with pride before moving to pick things up.

Knocking on her door causes some concern, but she walks to open the door and is confused.

"Hi! Can I help you with something?" She asks the man standing on the other side with a box of doughnuts in his hands.

"Hi! I was wondering if you knew where the woman living in the apartment next to yours is? She was supposed to meet me at the train station, but she never came."

"No, I'm sorry. I had my hands full the entire day today, but I do know she was supposed to meet her brother today, I suppose that's you?" She sees him nod his confirmation. "I have a key to her apartment, let me go find it and we'll make sure she's okay or not."

Steffy goes to find the spare key and her own, then she leaves the apartment, locks her door and then walks over to her neighbor's door and knocks on the door, hearing no movement inside, she unlocks the door and they walk in.

They search the apartment and can't find the man´s sister anywhere. "That's strange."

Steffy´s phone starts ringing and she answers. "Hello!"

"Hi! I'm sorry to call you, but we have a Ms. Eileen Adrienne here and she told me to call you to inform you that she has been in a car accident on the way to pick up her brother from the train station and ask that you let him into her apartment."

"Oh, okay, her brother came and knocked on my door wondering if I knew where she was. So, she's okay or is she badly hurt?"

"She has broken her left leg and her right underarm and she's got a concussion, but she should make a full recovery. She's okay for now."

"Okay, well, I should let you talk to her brother!"

She walks around to find him in the kitchen. "Here!"

He takes the phone with a confused look on his face and she just nods her head before she walks out of the kitchen to give him some privacy. Ten minutes later, he emerges from the kitchen and hands her the phone back.

"So, is there any way you could give me a lift to the hospital?"

"Let me just call my brother and see if he can come over." She walks away and calls Thomas.

She comes back a little while later. "So, my brother is going to come and pick you up, he said that it's probably better if he takes you rather than me leaving my daughter in his care for the next few hours. He'll be here within less than an hour." Steffy smiles at him. "You just wait here and Thomas will come knock on the door when he gets here! Tell your sister I said Hi!"

"I will! Good night!"

~OTTmF~

Two days later, there's a knock on the door and after opening the door, she sees that it's the woman from next door sitting in a wheel chair with the cast on her leg and her arm. She opens the door and walks out of it to welcome the woman home.

"Hi! Other than the obvious, how are you doing?"

"Well, I'm glad I won't be alone for the next few weeks."

"Yeah, it couldn't be better timing with your brother coming to visit for a while." Steffy smiles.

"Yeah, if you don't think about the fact that I wouldn't have been in the accident had he not been coming to visit."

"Yeah, that is true! So... how long will you be off your feet?"

"I'm going to be in this cast for the next eight to ten weeks, but I'll only need the chair for the first three weeks, after that crutches are going to be my best friends. Michael will be here for the next five weeks, he called his boss and got two months off of work and it worked out wonderfully."

"That's great!"

"It is, so, how was the birthday party?"

"It was just how I wanted it to be. Everyone had fun, Aspen got so much attention I don't think I'll need to give her anymore for the rest of the weekend, well, you know, other than giving her food and changing her diaper, and my parents actually got along, so plusses all over, mostly." She sighs. "Liam is still mad at me because I haven't taken him back yet, I don't think he understands that I've moved on and that he should as well. But you can't get everything."

"That's good and true!" Eileen looks over at the chaos inside Steffy´s apartment. "Oh, have I told you about an encounter I had with Hope in March last year?"

"No, I don't think you have, do you want to come in, have a cup of coffee or something and some party left overs?" Steffy offers.

"Sure! But maybe not coffee. Do you have tea of some sort?"

"I believe there's a can of iced tea still left in the fridge. Come on in!" Steffy moves away from the door into the kitchen while Eileen follows her and rolls up to the table.

"Well, it was the day Liam and her got married, Liam had just been by to try and find you, but you weren't here so he left, I'm pretty sure they met somewhere in the middle of the house because it wasn't long after he left before she came out the elevator. Anyway, she furiously knocks on your door and having just heard Liam knocking on your door, I looked outside and saw this tiny little woman standing there looking angry like a pissed off bee. So, we talked a little. The delusions she carried with her were so funny. Then I told her that if that's what she needed to believe to make herself feel better, I wasn't going to take it away from her."

"Did you tell her about Liam standing in the hallway when he called me every night?"

The surprise on Eileen´s face makes Steffy giggle. "You knew about that?"

"Of course, I did, it was like listening to a stereo. I'm surprised he couldn't hear me talking on the other side of the door. I'm pretty sure we held our hands on the same spot on different sides of the door at one point."

"Yeah, I can see that happening. About that, how come you're not back together with Liam yet?"

Steffy just smiles.

"I mean, it's been over a year since he annulled his marriage to Hope, isn't the time right to let him back into your heart?"

"Liam is the father of the most important thing in my life right now, but the love we had is a thing of the past, I've moved on. I don't need to be with the father of my child to know that I'm a good mother. What I need from Liam right now is for him to be a good father to our daughter and that's what I'm getting. I'm focusing on my daughter and my job for right now and that's all I need." Steffy sighs. "Liam will always hold a part of my heart because he is the father of my daughter, but over the last year it's become smaller and smaller as Aspen has taken over that space. I don't need him like I did back then."

"Wow, you really have moved on."

"Yeah, I didn't think it would happen, but it did, it sort of crept up on me from behind. It was a few months ago when I realized that the butterflies that normally would come every time I knew he'd come and pick Aspen up just weren't there anymore, all I felt was that I was going to miss my daughter terribly. I'm not in a hurry to make this duo a trio, there's no need for that!"

There's a knock on Steffy´s door, Eileen is a little startled and Steffy looks from the door to Eileen and back again. "Did you tell your brother that you were coming over to talk to me?"

Eileen just giggles a little. "I guess not!" Steffy walks away to the door with a big smile on her face.

She opens the door and sees Michael standing on the other side. She opens it wider and lets him in. "She's in the kitchen!"

"I thought you said you were just going to thank Ms Forrester for helping me out a few days ago, I didn't think you'd stick around for..." He looks around the table. "...what looks like iced tea and sandwiches?"

"Well, I was invited in after saying that I needed to tell her something about something that happened in March last year. I accepted." Eileen looks at her brother with a look of glee in her eyes.

Steffy lays her hand on Michael´s shoulder. "Can I tempt Mr. Adrienne with the last few leftovers from my one year old´s birthday party two days ago?"

Michael turns around to look at her and then just sits down at the table.

"See, he can never deny himself food!" Eileen laughs.

"Well, he's a man!" Steffy laughs a little herself. "My brother is exactly the same."

Steffy walks over to her shelves and picks out another glass for Michael to drink from and then opens the fridge to take out the last pieces of the cake.

"Did you really hold out on me?" Eileen says with a hint of accusation to her voice.

"Nah, I just thought we'd eat up the other food first."

"Oh."

"Thank you for helping me out that night! Your brother really helped out." Michael sends Steffy a thankful gaze.

"Yeah, I heard he decided to stick around and help Eileen get home as well. It's a good thing he had dad´s car in the driveway!"

"It's also a good thing that my sister doesn't carry that much weight with her, but man, your brother is strong!" Michael laughs. "When he picked her up from the wheelchair, I thought they'd do a turn because he put all his strength behind it and she just flew out of the chair."

"Yeah, Thomas is really strong! I'm really happy we could help you out!" Steffy smiles at both her guests. "So, I hear you're going to be sticking around for a little bit?"

"Yeah, actually, I might be sticking around for a little bit longer than planned."

Eileen gasps. "What do you mean? You didn't get fired or something?"

Michael just laughs. "No, I didn't get fired. I got a promotion, my boss called just now and asked if I maybe wanted to find a place where we could start up a sister store to the one in Houston and the one in Columbus, Ohio, here in LA and I said I could to that, then he asked if I wanted to maybe run it."

"So, I get to have my brother with me forever and ever and ever?" Eileen gasps before clapping her hands, then the pain reminds her that her arm is broken. "Crap, that hurt."

"I believe so yes as I did accept the offer."

The smile that spreads on Eileen´s face at her brother's news could rival the sun and it spreads to Steffy´s face.

"That's great!" Small noises start coming through the baby monitor.

"Oh, Aspen is here?" Eileen´s face light up even more.

"She is and I need to go check on her. I'll be back in a bit!"

Steffy wanders off towards her daughters' room and checks her diaper, fixes her a bottle and then brings her daughter with her to the kitchen. "I'm guessing you want to do this?" Steffy asks Eileen while waving the bottle in the air.

Eileen nods her head and leans back in her chair so Steffy can place Aspen so that both baby and woman is comfortable. It's a tricky task, but they get it done and Steffy then hands Eileen the bottle and Aspen starts eating.

Michael sits on the other side of the table and just watches his sister. "You know, I know that's not your child, but I didn't think I'd see you do that this soon and be such a natural at it."

Eileen and Steffy just look at each other and laugh a little. "You think this is the first time this has happened?"

Michael frowns before looking up at Steffy. "It's not?" Steffy shakes her head. "Well, alright then, I take back everything I said in my previous statement except 'but I didn't think I'd see you do this soon'. Because I didn't!"

Steffy chuckles. "What you see in front of you is the best baby sitter I could've asked for!"

About halfway through the bottle Aspen has fallen asleep and Steffy can see that Eileen is getting a little uncomfortable so she goes and takes her daughter to go back to her own bed to sleep for the rest of the night.

"Yeah, I think I need to do that too!" Eileen says. "I also need one of my pills!"

"We'll get on that then!" Michael says.

Steffy looks at the clock, 10:30 PM. "It's about time to go to bed for me as well!"

So, the two siblings leave the apartment and get ready for the night.

~OTTmF~

 _The next day_

 _Brooke Logan´s house_

It had been over a year since she talked to her youngest daughter last, not by her own choice, but she had found out through her oldest son that Hope had found a new love and because of this, she had hoped that Hope would come back to her and forgive her for the secret she had kept, especially since Hope apparently had no problem with hanging out with either Steffy nor Liam and they were the ones Brooke had kept the secret for.

Right now, she's sitting on her couch reading a book while a cup of tea cooled down on the coffee table and when there's a knock on the door, she looks up and wonders who that might be. She gets herself ready to go open the door and as she opens it, she finds a surprise on the other side.

The surprise brings a smile on her lips. "Hi! I didn't think you'd be coming by today!"

"Well, I didn't either. This is all Adam´s idea. I didn't want to come at all!" Hope looks around the room.

"Why did you come then?"

"He was driving and said he wasn't leaving until I've talked to you."

"Oh, so you're here because of an ultimatum? Not because you're not ready to forgive me yet?"

"No, I'm not ready to forgive you, no matter how many times Steffy or Liam says that you only kept their secret because they asked you too."

"Yeah, like Steffy would ever say that, when has she never lied about anything? Why would she ever want us to mend our relationship?"

"Well, she's taken me here on multiple occasions to try and get me to come in and talk to you, but I've never given her that win. I think she's the reason why Adam wouldn't let me leave just now. I think they've conspired against me!" Hope smiles at the thought of Adam and Steffy going behind her back.

"So, you've let the woman who stole your last boyfriend from you spend time together with your current boyfriend behind your back? Have you not learned from the past?"

"I have actually and because I have, Adam and I´s relationship is much stronger then Liam and mine was. I also trust Steffy more now than I did back then. My therapist and I have been working on that." Hope looks out the door. "Also, Steffy introduced Adam and I in the first place because she felt he'd be good for me and she was right. He is good for me and I'm not going to let you destroy that or my relationship with Steffy ever again. So, either you accept that Steffy and I are friends or you and I are never going to have a close relationship again."

The look on Brooke´s face forces a sigh to come through Hope´s lips. "I guess that won't happen. Well then, you've made your choice and now I'm making mine."

"You're seriously going to choose that lying, cheating, manipulating woman over your own mother?"

Hope stands by the door. "Yes, I am and I did. I chose Steffy over you a year ago and if you don't understand why then I don't need you in my life!" She looks over at her mother, no feelings what so ever in her eyes. "It's time you make a choice and change everything about yourself because this version of you I can't call my mother."

She walks through the door. "Oh, and by the way, Liam was choosing Steffy before you dumped that wedding on him even without knowing that she was pregnant. Liam and I were over already before we got married in Puglia when he wanted to run off with Steffy when he thought I had walked out on him again."

"Well, well, I'm surprised Steffy didn't jump at that chance." Brooke laughs.

"Oh, Steffy is the one who put a stop to it, because as Liam put it in his letter, Liam had come to Italy to do something very specific. Meaning marry me."

"Oh please! Like Steffy would do such a thing!" Brooke scoffs.

"Well, she did whether you believe it or not and that might be something you need to work on." Hope looks over at the car where Adam is waiting for her. "I hope you have a great life, I just won't be a part of it!"

Then she looks back at her mother before leaving the house and closing the door.

Brooke looks around the room baffled by what just happened. "I can't believe it, she actually chose Steffy..." She almost spits in disgust at the name. ".. over her own mother?"

Brooke brings one of her hands up to her forehead before placing her other hand on her hip. "Really, did that just happen?"

In the car leaving Brooke Logan´s property, Hope sits in the passenger seat while holding Adam´s hand.

"I take it that didn't go very well." Adam sends a look his girlfriend´s way.

"No, it didn't. She still doesn't see where she went wrong and I just can't deal with that anymore. I'm done with that." Hope sighs. "Can we just go eat please?"

"Are you mad at me?" Adam turns left as the car reaches the intersection.

"No, I understand why you did it, I am going to glare at Steffy though for putting you up to this."

"Oh, she had nothing to do with this. Rick on the other hand you might want to glare at." Adam laughs a little causing Hope to look over at him with surprise on her face.

"Really?"

"Yeah, he called last night asking me if I could take you to see your mom sometime soon. Why I don't know and I thought it was about time. But I haven't talked to Steffy about this since the last time she tried. Which was when?" Adam reaches over to grab a hold of her hand as he's coming up on a long straight road where the speed would be at a constant flow.

Hope thinks about this for a little while. "July 23rd, so a little over a month ago."

"Well, I guess we can put that away for now then. I'm sorry about your mom´s reluctance to work on this."

"Oh, trust me, mom wants to work on this, but she wants it to go back to how it used to be and that is something I just can't do. I've grown too much for me to go back to that."

"That's my girl!"

Hope looks over at him with pride in her eyes. "I am, aren't I?"

"For sure!" He looks over with a smile.

They find a parking spot right next to the restaurant, he pays to park and then they walk in to the restaurant. What they see makes Hope stop dead in her tracks before squealing. At a table in the restaurant, Steffy is sitting with a man and a woman in a wheel chair and the man is currently holding Aspen as Steffy looks on with pride in her eyes. She looks the man over and finds him having a few inches on Steffy, blue eyes and a rough look about him that's completely destroyed by the way he's holding the toddler up in the air making her fly. Hope looks over at the man beside her.

"Why does he look so familiar?"

"Oh, I don't know, could it be because of the woman in the wheelchair?" Hope looks over to the table again and sees a familiar face.

"Oh." She takes his hand and walks over to the table. "Hi everyone!"

She gives Steffy a hug, caresses Eileen over her shoulders and then reaches her hand out as the man has places Aspen on his knee again and he takes it. "Hi Hope!" Both the women say but the man hasn't been introduced to her yet.

"This is Michael Adrienne, he's Eileen´s older brother! Michael, this is my former stepsister Hope and her boyfriend Adam!"

Michael looks over at Hope and gives a small smile. "So, you're the girl who married your stepsister´s boyfriend?"

Hope just laughs. "Yep, that's me!" Michael just nods his head.

"Good, I hope the last year and a bit has been good for you!"

Hope looks over at Adam and smiles. "It has, it's shown me a lot about myself that I have realized that I didn't like much. It's also given me a lot that I never thought I wanted."

"So, are you ready to order?" A waiter had come over to see if they were ready to order.

The five adults at the table give their orders and within a few minutes they have their drinks at the table, including a warmed-up bottle for Aspen, who has now wandered over to Adam´s strong arms to be fed.

Michael just look at the group of people around him and notices that Steffy has been quiet since she introduced Hope and Adam to him, as has his sister.

"Why are you two so quiet?"

Steffy chuckles. "I'm just watching the love of my life!" Hearing Steffy say that while looking over at her boyfriend, Hope chokes on the iced coffee she just sipped on, causing Eileen to start laughing.

"You do know she's talking about Aspen right?"

"Right." Hope says as she's coughing.

Adam just causally continues to feed the little girl in his arms not even bothering to show that he heard that Hope choked.

Michael is finding the dynamic between Hope and Steffy to be complicated, he knows that they've had issues before, but that had been worked on for the last year or so, but there's just something that he finds interesting.

~OTTmF~

 _Spencer Publications_

 _Liam´s office_

He's sitting on the couch working on the next column for Eye on Fashion when he sees a post on Instagram from someone he's not sure he even knows.

 _Looks like the war is over folks!_

 _SteffyForrester and theonlyHopeLogan are having lunch together with Steffy´s daughter and Hope´s boyfriend. The other two I'm not sure who they are, but it looks like the Princesses of Forrester Creation like their company! Mystery continues._

 _#sistersagain #thewarisover #LiamSpencergotscrewed #Aspenissoadorable #thatmanishandsome #listeningtoAspenlaugingisheaven_

The picture that is connected to the post is a beautiful one where Hope and Adam look at each other with love in their eyes while Michael holds Aspen while Eileen and Steffy looks on while also taking a sip from their drinks.

Surprisingly, jealousy doesn't fill him up this time like it normally would when seeing Steffy look at another man and that makes him stop what he's doing and think about this before the light goes off in his head and he races over to his father´s office. He knocks on the door and hears his father call out to him to come in. He opens the door and peaks his head through the door.

"Yeah? Shouldn't you be working right now?" Bill raises his eyebrows.

"I should, but I just came to realize something." He holds out his phone that has the Instagram post on it. "Read what it says."

Bill laughs. "hashtag Liam Spencer got screwed. That is true, although you screwed it up just the same amount. Maybe even more."

"I agree with that. But the thing is that I didn't feel any jealousy looking at that picture. Not towards Adam nor that guy that's holding my daughter. I think I might have let both Steffy and Hope go now. I just want them both happy and Adam seems to do that for Hope and maybe that guy can do it for Steffy? Aspen seems to like him."

"Well, it's about time!" Bill says with a smile on his face.

"Yeah, I really didn't think I'd be able too. But it seems time does help."

"So, you're not going to go into a jealous rage when Steffy starts dating this guy?"

"Nah, she deserves to be happy and I know that I'm not the one who'd give her that anymore. If she decided to take me back now it'd be for our daughter and I don't want that."

"Good! So, what happens now?"

"I'm just going to be the best father I can be and if I find love in the future, good for me. But Aspen is my priority."

"That's good! I'm proud of you!"

"It's going to be so exciting to see Aspen grow up. See what kind of person she'll grow up to be."

"Well, if she´s anything like her mother, she'll be a handful." Both father and son smile at that statement.

"I wouldn't want it any other way. I hope her stepparents are good ones."

"I don't think neither you nor Steffy would allow bad people around your daughter."

"I'm going to have to agree with you on that." Liam looks around the room and finds a clock. "Oh, I need to get back to what I was doing, it's supposed to be turned in within the hour."

"Off you go!" Bill watches his son leave with a smile on his face. "It's about time." Then he goes back to what he was doing before Liam came over.

~OTTmF~

Over the next few weeks a lot of things happened.

Brooke was yelled at by Rick for screwing up his attempt at reconciliation between his mother and sister, so much so that she decided to look up therapists that could help her fix whatever her children thought was wrong with her.

Ridge came back to the states and with him came Aly and Thorne. The father/daughter duo set up residence at the beach house and it seemed Aly fit right in, as she should, with Hope, Steffy and Eileen, who had now become a very close-knit trio, although it had expanded into a quartet by now with Aly in the mix. The first person that Ridge had gone to see, when he came back to LA, had been Taylor and he apologized for everything he had done that had caused her pain and they were now rebuilding trust between them, which of course wasn't making Brooke Logan happy. But there was nothing she could do. Both of them knew that a relationship between them probably wasn't going to happen, there was too much water under the bridge on both sides, but they had to work on the relationship in order to be the best support system they could be for their children.

The biggest thing though had started as a failed movie night during one of Liam´s weeks with Aspen. Adam and Hope was supposed to come over to spend some time together with Steffy and Eileen, while Michael came as a bonus now that he was living with his sister. Eileen had unfortunately dozed out on the pain medication she was still taking before the movie was about to start and Hope and Adam´s car had broken down before they even got out of the garage of their apartment complex, so, it was just Steffy and Michael. This was the time that Steffy realized that the big scary teddy bear that her daughter liked so much was totally freaked out by spiders, snakes and clowns. Oh, and also, Sharknado scared him silly. Steffy just laughed at him. The moment she realized she was attracted to him however was about a week later when she caught him talking to her daughter as Aspen talked back in that cute toddler mumbo jumbo, it seemed as if he understood every word she said. The moment Steffy knew she liked him a lot was when she caught him trying to get her daughter to say mama. He does not know she's caught him doing either of those things. Or so she thinks, because every time she enters a room he's in, this little tingle moves along his spine.

The moment he realized he liked Steffy was when she pulled out the cake after her daughter´s birthday party and seeing the bond between her and his sister. The relationship between the two women seemed to be deeper than just two neighbors where one of them was used as a baby sitter once in a while. His attraction only grew from there. The first time he met Liam settled things though, because although Liam and Steffy would always be in each other´s life, he could see that they both just wanted the other one to be happy and it seemed like the love they had had for each other had been morphed into love for their daughter. The talk he'd had with Liam about a week ago had settled everything into place. Liam had actually threatened him that if he ever was to hurt Steffy in any way, Liam would come after him with guns blazing because if he hurt Steffy, he'd in fact be hurting Liam´s daughter.

The first time he asked her out, was a Wednesday afternoon and she looked at him with curiosity in her eyes before saying yes and they had a wonderful time at the bowling alley. He 'let' her win naturally, he'd never admit that she was that much better then him. They went out on four more dates and had three more movie nights before they even kissed for the first time. After, Steffy looked into his yes and said. "Well, that was worth the wait." Then she smiles and he leans in for one more kiss. As they come back up for air, he says. "Definitely!"

Steffy realized that she loved him when he met her parents for the first time and brought her mother´s favorite desert and the new book by her father´s favorite author. She could actually feel her heart skip a beat.

Hope, Adam and Eileen saw all of this happening and each time they saw each other they threw each other knowing looks with smiles on their faces.

Over time, more and more of Michael´s things seemed to migrate over to Steffy´s place across the hall from Eileen´s apartment and Eileen would happily admit that some of those things she brought over herself to speed up the process.

The first time either of them said 'I love you' to the other, they both thought the other was sleeping, but of course neither was. During one of the movie nights, Steffy had fallen asleep in Michael´s arms on the couch while Adam and Hope were cuddled up on the love seat and Eileen had fallen asleep on the coziest arm chair you'd ever find, her leg with the cast laying over a foot stool to keep it elevated. He whispers it so quietly that he thinks no one hears him, but Steffy does. The first time Steffy says it, it's just before she's going to fall asleep and she sighs before breathing out "I love you!" thinking he's already sleeping, he's just about ready to cross the threshold, but her saying those three words causes him to jolt awake and he lays there with a smirk on his lips for at least two hours.

The first time they say it meaning the other to hear them, Steffy says it as she watches him pick her daughter up from the floor to get her ready for bed and then she walks up and kisses him senseless. Michael is sitting at the table after making breakfast and then looks her in the eyes and when he gets her attention, he tells her that he loves her.

The first time they make love makes both of them realize that previous experiences just doesn't compare. The way their bodies just knew where to touch, press, caress it was like they've been together for many years prior.

He keeps living at his sister´s place for another two weeks after that, then exactly 24 weeks after meeting her for the first time, he moves in and enters the life of a stepfather with such grace.

It had been a slow burn and that's why everyone knew this was it for the both of them. It took Hope, Adam and Eileen 23 weeks to let them know that the first movie night had actually only happened the way it did because they wanted it to happened like that. That car hadn't broken down and Eileen hadn't zonked out on her medication. The surprise on both Michael and Steffy's faces was amusing.

About six months into their relationship, Steffy made an announcement during one of the board meetings for Forrester Creations. She stood up tall and then said.

"I have made a decision and from now on, I'd like to be referred to as Stephanie Forrester. Because I am strong, loved, happy and intend to make this company greater then it is and for me to be able to do that, I need to let Steffy go and step into the shoes I was born to fill, potentially also spill out of!"

Her father looks at her with pride, as does her mother, grandfather and brother. Hope and Rick smile, although their smiles can't be described as a similar one. Hope´s actually has real joy in it, Rick´s feels forced.

Six months later, Steffy walks through the door of the apartment she shares with her boyfriend and her daughter who had turned two years old a couple of months ago and sees her boyfriend sitting at the table in the kitchen on his computer. She walks up behind him and sees that he's looking at listings of houses.

"I like that one!" She says as she points towards a two-story house with attic space and a basement, Michael jumps and places his hand over his heart.

"Oh, my goodness, you scared me." She kisses the top of his head.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you heard me, but you might have been too involved in the house hunt to hear me come in." She goes to sit down beside him. "How long have you been having these thoughts?"

"About two months now. The closet by the door is what set them off actually, I'm not sure what I was putting away, but we either need to organize that closet or find ourselves a new place to live and I vote for new place to live." He reaches out to hold her hand.

"Yeah, I agree. We're going to run out of place pretty soon." She looks him in the eyes.

He looks right back with confusion in his eyes. She leaves and goes to find her purse before placing it in front of him. "Look inside there and find the thing that shouldn't be in there."

He looks through her purse and finds a little handwritten note. _Baby Adrienne due July 2016_. He searches a little more and finds an ultrasound picture. "Are you serious? Really? We're having a baby?"

"Are you happy?" Steffy looks at him with worry in her eyes.

"Oh yes, I'm very happy, but we've got to get a move on with that house hunting now, if we're having the house renovated, I need time for it to be done before baby comes." Then he looks like something hit him straight in the gut.

"What's wrong?"

He looks over at her and fixes her eyes with his. "Will you marry me?"

Her face breaks out in a smile. "Yes, I'll marry you! I love you so much!"

The two kiss and then go back to looking for a house.

~OTTmF~

 **AN:**

 **Don't worry if you're confused by the timeline in the** _ **fast forward**_ **-part of the chapter, I am too, but we're supposed to be around November 12** **th** **-ish 2015 when Steffy tells Michael about the pregnancy. I'm thinking the movie night-'manipulation' happened some time in the beginning of September 2014, Steffy announces that she's going back to Stephanie in May 2015.**

 **Here's the thing, I've tried to figure out who I'd want as the guy Steffy starts falling for as well as who's to portray Adam and I've come to a decision. I want you to look up the guy who plays Deniz on the Turkish drama** **Paramparca, I think he actually looks a lot like the guy who stared as Leo on the show a little while ago although not the same and I want him with Hope, then look up the guy who stars as Ozan, that's who I picture as that guy** **that Steffy ended up with. In my opinion, Deniz is more handsome then Ozan looks wise, but I find Ozan as a character sexier and a little rougher around the edges and that's what Steffy needs in my mind and the girl who plays Ozan's biological sister** **Hazal** **on the show is perfect for Eileen, I thought about the girl staring as** **Cansu** **, but it didn't make sense. So, look up** **Burak Tozkoparan, Alina Boz, Leyla Tanlar** **and** **Ceyhun Mengiroglu** **to find my Eileen, Adam and Michael, also, Leyla Tanlar is a beautiful girl and I really like her character on that show.**

 **Also, giving Adam a last name has been an absolute hassle I tell you, nothing makes sense. So, if you have one, please give me a suggestion!**

 **And, guess what, there will be a fourth part to this story, an epilogue sort of.**


	4. Epilogue

**AN:**

 **As always, I do not own a thing!**

One, two, three, maybe four?

 **Epilogue**

 _July 12th 2016_

The sun flows through the curtain in front of the French doors that adorn the wall to the left of their bed making her hair look like a halo from where he's lying looking at her. The light also reflects on the gemstone that's on her engagement ring and the smaller ones that's on her wedding band.

He places his hand on her belly where their baby is laying comfortably just waiting to come out. They had decided to not find out the gender of the baby before the birth.

This pregnancy had really agreed with his wife, sure, the first eight weeks after she told him had been hard, but the rest of the pregnancy had been a walk in the park. They were now two days past the due date and Steffy was getting tired of all the restrictions the bump put on her and now she just wanted the baby to come out.

The renovations of the house they had bought weren't really much more then a layer of paint or a wall paper here or there and they could move in within a couple of months, he had felt they needed to air out the fumes before they could move in completely.

The wedding had been a quiet affair, both sets of parents, siblings and one friend + one and then they had a bigger reception for the rest of the family and friends.

Since they were getting closer to the due date, Aspen had been with her father most nights and come by to see her mother during the days, but he could feel that something had shifted overnight and he reaches over to grab his phone to send a text over to Liam asking him to stay with them when he brings Aspen over because they'd probably be going to the hospital pretty soon.

Just as he gets a response from Liam, Steffy starts moaning and he can see her belly tense up, he sends Liam another text telling him that it's starting and Michael will let Steffy sleep as much as she can so could he please keep Aspen for the day and let Steffy focus on giving birth to this baby. Liam sends a text back within less then 15 seconds letting Michael know that Aspen would be perfectly fine coming to see her mother later.

For the next few hours, Michael does everything he can to make his wife comfortable, he makes her a bath to relieve the pain, he holds her up when she asks him and he goes to place the car right in front of the entrance to the house to make it easier when they need to leave.

When the clock strikes 7 PM, Steffy announces that for the last hour she's had a minimum of three contractions within ten minutes and they're off to the hospital. When they get there, Steffy is 7 cm dilated and after that everything moves fast. An hour after getting there, she starts pushing and four pushes later, their baby is here.

The next day, Liam walks through the hallway of the maternity ward trying to find Steffy and Michael´s room. Aspen is walking next to him.

They find the room and walk through the door, Liam picks his daughter up off the floor and read what the sign says. He pulls the curtain away and see Steffy laying on the bed sleeping with a cot next to her that's empty, sitting in a chair on the other side of the bed is Michael holding a little bundle.

"Hey, congratulations!" Liam says quietly. Michael looks up from the baby in his arm and smiles big.

"Thank you! And thank you for coming in to see us!"

"Of course, Aspen wanted to meet the baby and she missed her mommy."

"Mike!" Aspen reacts when she hears her name being used, then she points towards the bundle in Michaels arms. "Baby!"

Michael smiles big towards his stepdaughter. "Yes, meet your baby sister!"

"So, what are you going to name her?" Liam asks.

"Well, we're not entirely sure, we thought we'd know when we saw her, but none of the names we had in mind fit. So, we're back to square one."

"How has the night been?" Steffy starts stirring.

"It's been rough, we don't quite know this little one yet, but we're getting there."

"Momma!" This wakes Steffy up.

She stretches a little bit before opening her eyes. "I believe I heard my daughter call out for me!" She says with sleep still in her voice.

Liam let´s Aspen down on the bed and from there, Aspen crawls her way over to her mother. "Hi baby girl! How are you doing?"

"Good!" Aspen points over towards her stepfather. "Baby!"

"Yes, baby! What do you think we should name her?"

Aspen thinks really hard. "I don know."

Liam laughs a little. "Your father really comes from the worst family when it comes to giving your kids a name when they're born, little one!" Liam says while smiling big at the little girl in her father´s arms. "Everything just sounds wrong."

Steffy looks over to her ex. "Yeah, it's a hassle. It would've been a little easier had she been a boy." She laughs a little. "But she's our baby girl and she'll always be, unless she decides differently."

This is the moment the baby chooses to open her eyes. Liam looks at her. "What about Hazel? Hazel Adrianne."

The two new parents look at each other. "It does sound good, but I don't think it's her." Michael says as he looks at his daughter. "But we'll keep it in mind, she might end up being named Hazel."

"Yeah, I think we need to think some more." Steffy says with a smile on her face, then it's like a light goes off in her brain. "Eloise Hazel Adrienne."

Just as she says it Michael looks up and his eyes start shining. "We can call her Ellie."

~OTTmF~

During the year that followed, Eloise developed just like she should, her mother and father grew even more in love and her older sister adored Eloise.

When it came to the rest of the family, Eileen found love and happiness. Thomas did as well. Not with each other.

Rick left for New York and Brooke worked on herself finally letting go of the past.

Ridge and Taylor formed a strong bond and loved hanging out with their grandchildren. They also liked spending time together.

Hope and Adam got married and are now pregnant with their first child.

Liam fell in love and is searching for the best ring to give his girlfriend when he proposes.

Everything worked out the way it should have. Everyone is happy and content.

~OTTmF~

 **AN:**

 **This was a short one, but epilogues don't need to be really long.**

 **So, there will probably be an alternative to this one posted a little later this year, it'll probably begin during the same time, meaning Steffy stands on the patio watching Liam struggle to put that ring on Hope´s finger. But I'm not going to reveal much more on it.**

 **Now, I know some of my readers weren't too keen on this story after the way chapter two ended, but hopefully the alternate version of this will be more up your alley! I hope you come back for the next one!**


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